Blog Kiosk: 3/6/2019 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Just another fantastic spring baseball photo. This time it's of a pitcher who many regard as one of the most underrated hurlers of the 30's.

Dated March 27, 1943. Ex-Dodger -- The Brooklyn Bums were visited by Larry French, formerly a member of their mound corps, recently at their Bear Mountain spring training camp. French, who is now a lieutenant junior grade with the US Navy, is reported seeking permission to play weekend ball with the Dodgers so that he might reach the 200-win mark before hanging up his spikes. Shaking hands with French is Manager Leo Durocher.

Unfortunately, Larry French did not receive such permission. Instead, he began his second career. Larry French would remain in the Navy for 27 years as both in active duty and as a Navy Reservist -- retiring in 1969 as a Captain. BTW, he participated in the invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1938 the Dodgers received first baseman Dolph Camilli from the Phillies for an outfielder named Eddie Morgan and $45,000. Camilli would spend the next six seasons in Brooklyn -- slashing an overall .270/.392/.497/.889 with 139 home runs, 572 RBI's and an WAR of 29.1. He would also be named the NL MVP in 1941. In 1948 the Dodgers traded second baseman Eddie Stanky to the Boston Braves. Stanky famously yelled at Phillies coach Ben Chapman during a game the season prior due to his racist insults directed at Jackie Robinson.  
• Happy Birthday, Frank Gatins, John McMakin, George Mohart, Doug Podbielan, Greg Hannahs, Terry Adams & Marcus Thames!

Blog Kiosk: 4/8/2014 - Dodgers Links - Dr. Jobe's Memorial at Dodger Stadium, AJ to have Surgery and Kenley Jansen's Fastball

Dr. Frank Jobe's Memorial Service was held at Dodger Stadium yesterday.  Featured above is Vin Scully opening up the ceremony.  Pic via @Dodgers on twitter.  An AP report of the event at the LA Times is here.  Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider shares his report here; including video.  You can check out a bunch of photos from Jon SooHoo here.

• Dave Cameron at FanGraphs writes, "A Thing Maybe Worth Noting: Kenley Jansen’s Velocity."

Yes, that top line is correct: PITCHF/x has already classified more 97+ mph pitches from Kenley Jansen this year than it did all of last year. Maybe more staggering is the cumulative percentage of the top three lines; of his pitches greater than 90 mph this year, 51% of them have been recorded at 95.0 mph or faster, compared to just 7.2% last year. 

• Mark Langill at Dodger Insider writes about, "Mickey Rooney’s Dodger Stadium show."  As you may know, Mickey Rooney passed away this weekend.  RIP, Mickey Rooney.
• Are you kidding me?  AJ Ellis to have surgery today, via a @Dodgers tweet last night.  I suspect Tim Federowicz will be back.  Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider has mroe information here.

 

#Dodgers catcher AJ Ellis is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee for a meniscus tear tomorrow morning in Los Angeles.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 8, 2014

AJ responded thusly:

Blown away yet unsurprised by support of @Dodgers fans. Have total confidence in Dr.ElAttrache and Med Dept to have me back on field ASAP
— AJ Ellis (@AJEllis17) April 8, 2014

• Via Mark Saxon at ESPNLosAngeles.com, "Like Ausmus, Ellis seems like future manager."

“I love the mental side of the game, the strategic part of the game,” Ellis said. “I love having conversations after the game, just learning from Don Mattingly and Tim Wallach and Rick Honeycutt and just trying to devour as much about this great game of baseball as I can.” 

• I don't want to get too excited here, but I think Matt Kemp is back.  Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Matt Kemp: 'That's my swing right there'."

"My second home run, that's when I know I'm hitting the ball good, when I'm going to right field," Kemp said. "That's my swing right there."

• Via Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times, "Former Dodger Raul Mondesi says Yasiel Puig reminds him of himself."

“He’s still young,” Mondesi said. “People make mistakes when they start playing that young.

“They have to let him develop without putting too much pressure on him. Little by little, he’ll get to where he has to get and he’ll help the team win a lot of games.”

• Topps 2014 Gypsy Queen official goes live on Wednesday.  Check out a bunch of preview pics from Topps facebook page, here.  Check out a couple of Dodger cards below.

• Matthew Glidden at Number 5 Type Collection shares a card of Brooklyn Dodger Larry French from a 1975 TCMA set.

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eBay: Vintage Dodger Snapshots- Some Replacement Players

Sure, it's great to have a chance to enjoy vintage fan taken snapshots of a future Hall of Famer, but those guys tend to be who everyone takes photos of. How about the other fellows? Won't somebody give the role players some love?

Well, featured here are several snapshots of some unheralded Brooklyn Dodgers from the early 1940's.

Below is journeyman backup catcher Herman Franks from 1941. He was hardly a superstar, but became noteworthy nonetheless. Herman started out with the Hollywood Stars, played in Brooklyn from 1940 to 1941, befriended Leo Durocher in the meantime, went away to war for 3.5 years, and came back to became a player manager for the Dodgers AAA team in St. Paul. Then, he decided to get back on the field for the Phillies and Giants before retiring to be the right hand man behind Manager Durocher's Giants. As the story goes, it was Franks who sat in centerfield stealing catcher signs that may have lead to Bobby Thompson's 1951 home run shot.

So, Franks was a traitor, and a cheating SOB. As stated in Wikipedia:

Franks would poke his head into the Brooklyn clubhouse to taunt Furillo that Giant pitchers would throw at his head during that day's game. Furillo, whose hatred for Durocher was so intense that he would engage Durocher in a fistfight in the Giant dugout filled with enemy players, said of the Giants, in Peter Golenbock's book Bums, "They were dirty ballplayers ... They all wanted to be like Durocher, to copy Durocher. That Herman Franks, he was another one."

(Auction Link)

This is Newt Kimball. He was a right handed relief pitcher for the Dodgers from 1940 to 1943. This photo was taken in September of 1941. Unfortunately, I can't make out where the pic is from.

(Auction Link)

Larry French casually strolls through the home field of the Boston Braves in July 1942 in the photo below. Of the three players featured here, French had the longest career. He was a starting pitcher for most of his 14 years in the Majors- the last two with Brooklyn in 1941 to 1942. Here is a funny story about Larry from Wikipedia.

With his team leading the Braves 8-0 in the ninth inning, reliever Larry French of the 1933 Pirates figured he could duck out of the bullpen and hit the showers early. Little did he know as he was getting clean that the Braves had rallied to make the score 8-7. When the call came for French to pitch, he didn't even have time to rinse off. He put on his uniform and hustled out to the mound with soap trickling down his neck. He went on to pull off a win.

That would be like Griffey hitting a homer as a pinch hitter that one time he was found in the clubhouse sleeping during a game.

(Auction Link)